In a conventional automated teller machine or the like, when paper supplies such as recording forms are to be placed within the machine for use, and when maintenance of the machine is required, such as the correction of jamming of bills or forms within the machine, a portion of the internal mechanism of the machine must be withdrawn rearwardly with respect to the external housing of the machine to enable such supply and repair (hereinafter referred to as rear maintenance) to take place. During normal operation of the machine, a part of the mechanism referred to above extends through an opening in the external housing of the machine and is accessible to a customer using the machine to enable card reading or passbook printing. As a result, when the mechanism is withdrawn, there is an opening in the external housing of the machine.
In general, the automated teller machine (ATM) or the like is disposed within a bank or other establishment in such a manner that the front part thereof faces into a room into which customers can freely enter and the rear part thereof faces into another room within the bank where rear maintenance is performed. Accordingly, when an ATM is under rear maintenance, and the opening in the external housing is therefore exposed, it may happen that a customer will put his or her card, passbook or the like into the opening in the housing, not being aware that the ATM is under rear maintenance. After the card, passbook or the like has been put through the hole, it is difficult to retrieve, due to the restricted interior space of the machine, and there is danger of damaging the card or passbook in the course of removing it. In order to avoid the situation mentioned above, a shutter or door may be provided to close the opening in the housing when the mechanism is not extending therethrough. However the rear maintenance is usually performed with the machine in a power off state, so that the shutter or door cannot be electrically driven.
One prior art arrangement for solving this problem is shown in FIG. 5, in which a shutter 74 is provided for covering an opening 54 in a machine front panel 52 when a projecting portion 60 of the machine is withdrawn to the right, as viewed in FIG. 5. The shutter 74 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 76 which is supported on a support member fixed to the inside surface of the panel 52. An element 78 is fixed to the inside surface of the panel 52 and extends into the interior of the ATM beneath the opening 54. It will be seen that even when the shutter is drawn down, space is left between the opening 54 and the shutter 74, and therefore there is a danger that the card or passbook or the like may be inserted through the space. In addition, when the machine is constructed as shown in FIG. 5, the support member 72 extends toward the inside of the machine and it is therefore necessary to rotate the shutter 74 on the shaft 76, so that the thickness of the shutter device 70 is gradually increased toward the inside of the machine. In particular, when the opening 54 is relatively large, it is necessary to make the entire shutter device 70 thicker in the depth direction. However, only a small space may be left near the opening 54 adjacent the inside surface of the panel 52, so that it sometimes may happen that a shutter of this conventional structure cannot be provided.
Another protective door mechanism which may be used in automated teller machines and similar security machines is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,864, issued Sept. 23, 1986, inventors Robert J. Beck et al.